Storyline: “The Way” is a powerful and inspirational story about family, friends, and the challenges we face while navigating this ever-changing and complicated world. Martin Sheen plays Tom, an American doctor who comes to St. Jean Pied de Port, France to collect the remains of his adult son (played by Emilio Estevez), killed in the Pyrenees in a storm while walking the Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of Saint James. Rather than return home, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage to honour his son’s desire to finish the journey. What Tom doesn’t plan on is the profound impact the journey will have on him and his “California Bubble Life”. Inexperienced as a trekker, Tom soon discovers that he will not be alone on this journey. On his journey, Tom meets other pilgrims from around the world, each with their own issues and looking for greater meaning in their lives: a Dutchman (Yorick van Wageningen)… Written by The Way

A father heads overseas to recover the body of his estranged son who died while traveling the “El Camino de Santiago,” and decides to take the pilgrimage himself.

DVD Archive Review: In all honesty, when we received “The Way” from ‘Gambit’, the mere suggestion that it was going to be a drawn out spiritual film that would attempt the viewer to convert their religion came to the surface like a scuba diver without an oxygen tank. This of course changed as soon as we sat down to watch it, and it was what we saw on the screen which had us glued all the way to the end.

We remember Emilio Estevez from “Young Guns” and “The Breakfast Club”, so the whole surprise in this change of angle in a first time Directorial Film brought the thoughts of afore mentioned beliefs to being discarded. The more that we watched of this film, the more we were wondering where Emilio could have acquired this ground breaking idea of putting into pictures the feelings, emotions, laughter and tears of such a simplistic storyline.

The Way is most certainly a very powerful story that tells the story of Family importance, the way in which we sometimes take our relationships with family members for granted and that we allow ourselves to believe that the way in which they live their lives is a far distant pass from our own. The whole plot setting of this film takes on a whole new level of mellow drama pit-falls, twists, turns and even conclusions within the storyline itself. The casting is as solid and as perfect as you could ever expect a film of this kind to be, including the inclusion of (Tchéky Karyo) Captain Henri, the Police Officer who is not only sympathetic to Tom’s huge family loss, but is a perfect pace setter to the start of this epic journey which Tom now embarks on – The El Camino de Santiago walk.

We see Tom (Martin Sheen) change from this private person who has a professional job back home in the States, to this secluded, inspired and persistent Father whose relationship with his illusive son breaks down the real emotional charge which drive’s his determination into a whole new realm of openness. Sharing his feelings, his past, his present and in some respects his future with the outcome of the walk with fellow walkers. With integrated scenes of seeing his son, it is not with an ounce of over exaggeration, nor is it over the top SFX saturated to the point where the viewer gets tired, or believes the story is spoilt.

The introductions of the other lead cast, Joost (Yorick van Wageningen) who is the man from Amsterdam, Sarah (Deborah Kara Unger), the woman with a very deepened scar of emotion, and, of course, Jack (James Nesbit) the Writer with Writer’s Block. All of these people who have been thrown together, almost as if by some majestic fate had been involved has this film set to become a classic in its own right. Throughout the two hour film we are sure that the viewer will be mesmerised by the breath-taking backdrop landscapes, the situations and positions that these Trekkers are confronted with, and relieved by the relaxed, sustainable and invigorating flow of the storyline right up to the very end. With this said, it would be interesting to know exactly how many viewers – like us – actually hit the search engines to look up “The El Camino de Santiago walk”.

If it is a change from the normal evening of battle worn destruction, alien infested colonial worlds and slash, gore, horror intervals of blood and guts flying here, there and everywhere, then “The Way” is definitely that refreshing change.

Tyler Bates, who does the music in the film, had previously been the composer for Rated X, which was also directed by Emilio Estevez.

Quotes

Daniel: You don’t choose a life, dad. You live one.

The Way 2010 (Official Theatrical Trailer)

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